Hand brake for railway cars



Aug. 30, 1932. R. w. BURNETT 1,874,439

HAND BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARS Original Filed Feb. 19, 1925 W. I "'lkv 24 Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITED STATES RICHARD W. BURNETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS HAND BRAKE FOB, RAILWAY CABS Original application filed. February 19, 1925, Serial No. 10,248. Divided and this application filed September 13, 1928.

My invention relates to railway car hand brakes and has for its object the provision of a high powered hand brake which is so constructed and applied to a car that it may be operated to set or to release the brakes while the brakeman is standing on the brake platform or on the top of the car.

Another object is to provide a hand brake of the above character including a vertically disposed brake stafi and associated winding mechanism, in which the parts are soconstructed as to facilitate convenient assembly and insure eflicient operation.

Further novelty will appear in the course of the following description and the features of novelty will be set forth in the appended claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

2 wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a railway box car showing my improved hand brake applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the housing, shaft and winding drum, the said view being taken on a vertical axis.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of 3 the housing and the shaft, showing the relative position'of the slot 29 and the lug 28 when the winding drum and shaft are asseigbled in proper position in the housing, an

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3,

but taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, 10 designates the end portion of a railway box car and 11 a brake platform secured to the end wall of the car. Be-

neath the car body there is provided a bell crank 12 having a power arm 13 and a winding surface 14. The bell crank is pivotally supported to any suitable portion of the car body, preferably to the under-frame near the end of the car. The member 12 is preferably pivoted in a bracket 15 secured to the car and is normally held in a position where- 'by a rocking movement in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 tends to increase the effective length of the power arm Serial No. 305,747.

13 and consequently increases the power applied to the brake chain 16. When the member 12 is rocked in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the chain 16 will be wrapped about the winding surface 14 and carried forward in a manner to apply power to the brakes. The rocking member 12 has pivotally connected thereto a link 17 which, at its upper end, is connected with a flexible connector 18, the latter of which is attached 00 to a winding mechanism, designated generally by the reference character 19. The winding mechanism is preferably enclosed in a housing 20 of any suitable or preferred construction and secured to the end wall of 05 the car preferably near the upper corner thereof. In the present embodiment the housing 20 is formed with an angular portion 21 which projects over and bears against the roof of the car at the end of the car. The winding mechanism comprises a winding drum 22 secured to a horizontal shaft 23 journaled in the housing 20. A relatively large beveled gear 24 is secured to the shaft 28 and meshes with a beveled pinion 25 at- 7 tached to the lower end of the vertical brake staff 26. The brake stafi 26 is journaled in the portion 21 of the housing 20 and is pro-' vided at its upper end with a horizontally disposed hand wheel 27. The said wheel is so preferably so positioned relative to the roof of the car and relative to the brake platform 11 that it can be conveniently operated while the brakeman is standing on the said brake platform or on the top of the car. The drum 22 is preferably provided with an irregular winding surface. The position of the winding drum shown in Fig. 2 illustrates the position which it assumes when the slack in the brake chain is removed and when the power is about to be applied to the brakes. Preferably the connector 18 is attached to the drum 22 at a. substantial distance from the axis and as indicated at 27 in Fig. 2. By an inspection of Fig. 2, it-will be seen that the in- 96 itial windin movement of the drum in the direction in icated by the arrow in Fig. 2, takes place while the power arm of the rock ing member 12 is in its lowest posltion. This operation ofthe drum effects a quick take- 100 up of the slack in the flexible connectors 16 and 18 and conditions the brake mechanism for the application of pressure to the car wheel. Preferably the brake setting pressure is applied by the winding of the connector 18 upon the ortion b of relatively small but uniform rat ius on the drum. This operation preferably takes place before the upward rocking movement of the power arm 13 has effected any substantial increase in its effective length. During the wrapping of the chain about the section Z) of the drum, a strong power is applied to the brakes, both by reason of the smaller radius of section b and the increase in the effective length of the power arm of the member 12, such increase in the length of said arm being produced by the further upward movement of the arm. Further rotation of the drum causes the cons nector 18 to wrap about a portion 0 of the drum of increasing radius. During the wrapping of the connector about this section of the drum, the power from the drum is slightly decreased, but the decrease in power is compensated by a further increase in the effective length of the power arm of the bell crank. The last quarter (1 of the winding surface of the drum 22 comes into use when the power arm of the bell crank approaches the horizontal or when it passes beyond the horizontal. This portion of the drum will come into play only when the brake mechanism is applied to cars, the brake cylinder travel of which is abnormally long or when there is an abnormal amount of slack in the brake connections or wearing down oft-he brake shoes. Normally the brakes will be set very tightly when the connector 18 has been wound about the uniform winding surface b of the drum and in but few cases will the winding extend beyond the surface 0 of the drum.

In order to facilitate convenient assembly of the winding mechanism, the shaft 23 is provided with a lug 28, along one side thereof, the openings through the drum 22 and the beveled gear 24 for the shaft being so shaped as to receive the lug 28 thereby holding the drum and gear rigid on the shaft. The bearing for the shaft 23 in the wall of the housing 20 is also provided with anotch at one point for the reception of the said lug 28, such notch being indicated by the numeral 29. After the shaft is inserted through the drum and gear, the shaft, drum, and gear are turned to move the lug out of register with the notch 29 as shown in Fig. 4. The position of the notch 29 is such that in the normal operation of the mechanism, the lug 28 will not be brought into reglstratlon with the notch, the lug 28 serving to prevent the withdrawal of the shaft 23 from the housing.

The winding mechanism is held in its brake setting position by a ratchet and dog mechanism adapted to be engaged or disengaged by the brakeman, as conditions may require. Preferably the ratchet wheel 30 is secured to the brake staff 26 outside of the housing and is adapted to be engaged by the pivoted dog 31, the latter being pivotally secured to the housing by a bolt 32.

This application is a division of my eopending application Serial No. 10,248 filed Feb. 19, 1925.

The combination of the winding mechanism and the bell crank herein shown is not claimed in the present application apart from the special construction of the housing for the winding mechanism, said combination being claimed in my eopending applications Serial No. 109,061, filed May 14, 1926, and Serial No. 349,817, filed March 25, 1929.

I claim:

1. An operating mechanism for a railway car hand brake, comprising a housing having bearing openings, one of which has a radially disposed notch therein, a horizontal shaft journaled in said bearing openings, a drum mounted on said shaft within said housing, and a hip; on said shaft adapted to be turned into register with the notch in 'said bearing opening to permit insertion of said shaft therein and which in the normal operative position of the shaft is turned out of register with said notch to prevent withdrawal of the shaft from thehousing.

2. A hand brake for a railway car comprising a housing, formed with a vertical portion for attachment to a vertical portion of the car and formed with an angularly disposed portion at the upper end of said housing which projects over the upper edge of the car, a horizontal shaft journaled in the housing below the upper edge of the car, a winding drum secured to said shaft and formed with awinding surface, the center line of which is in a single plane, means connecting said drum with the brake rigging underneath the car, and means for operating the drum comprising a gear on said shaft, a vertical shaft journaled in the angularly disposed portion of said housing, a pinion on the vertical shaft meshing with said gear, and a hand wheel secured to said vertical shaft.

RICHARD W. BURNETT.

Patent No.- 1,874,439.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

August 30, 1932.

RICHARD W. BURNETT.

ed specification of the Page 2, line 58, after aid Letters Patent should conform to the record of It is hereby certified'that error appears in the print above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: "of" insert the words the lug relative to; and that the s be read with this correction therein that the same may the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day oi November, A. D. I932.

M. J. Moore, 'Acting Commissioner of Patents.

(Seal) 

